Left page: Childrens Workshop Left image: Social Night Bottom image: Ladies Night
If we work on our communication( treating everyone in the same way that you would like to be treated), then we would have solved the main problem. For the benefit of everyone, if we volunteer to help at the board level, we can expect the Samaj to grow and continue.
The participants comprised of elite and fun players, both male and female, young and old and everyone had a fantastic time.
Over the last few years you may have witnessed the building renovation work. I am pleased to report that the refurbishment of the social club and the front elevation work is now all complete. The Social Club already staged two very successful events- so watch out for more event planned for this year.
The picture I have painted above appears very rosy for SPAL, however, that is not the case across the board. Like all other SPA branches we are also facing challenges. We have entered into a new era and we need new visions, new energy, new methods and a revived sense of unity. We as a Samaj( both locally and nationally) need to work together in harmony, combine resources to provide our members the services they can be proud of.
a. People fear that once they volunteer, they will be stuck in that position for a long time b. On occasions, members make personal and offensive comments to Office Bearers at the AGM, which leads to members not taking part in the Samaj to avoid feeling hurt
The motto should be to respect the volunteers who carry out their duties. We should also guarantee that the position will be easily filled on vacancy. We should recognise that anyone willing to take posts will have a learning curve first and they may make mistakes. Instead of criticising, we should provide encouragement, guidance and help. This way people are more likely to volunteer for the posts in the future where help is at hand.
It is up to all members to communicate to the board what you would like to see happening within our organisation. This is a repeated call every year at every event. However, in most cases, the views are heard only in passing at social gathering such as at weddings, parties, Samaj events, which is not the best way forward.
Why? Because views expressed at events are not recorded and they may get lost if there is long time to the next meeting. The platform for expressing your views and suggestions should be done in the right environment such as at the meeting or in writing to the board of trustees.
Let us all work together to take the Samaj forward.
Jai Shree Krishna Jayantilal D Mistry, President- SPAL
At the AGM, both SPA( UK) and SPAL, I found that we have a very large pool of talent, but no one comes forward voluntarily to take on any position on the board. I can understand that some of the positions appear to be demanding and this is where we need to breakdown the tasks into small pieces and share responsibilities between a team of people for that role. This way it becomes easier for everyone concerned. The experienced trustees must also spend time passing on their experiences and appreciate the new methods.
It appears that the two main reasons why we have difficulty in filling any positions are: vol. 41 | Prajapati Sandesh 2016 73